Removable box bail

ABSTRACT

AN ATTACHABLE-REMOVABLE BAIL OR HANDLE ATTACHMENT, FOR A CONTAINER, SUCH AS A VESSEL, BASKET, TRAY, BOX, CARTON, OR THE LIKE, SAID BAIL HAVING SLIDABLE CLAMP MEMBERS OPERATIVE TO CAM OR WEDGE AN NTERVENTING RIM PORTION OF SUCH CONTAINER DIRECTLY AGAINST SAID BAIL TO SECURE SAID BAIL IMMEDIATELY TO SAID CARTON.

NOV. 16, 1971 ECKBERG 3,619,852

REMOVABLE BOX BAIL Filed Nov. 10, 1970 "III,

6 7' TO/PNE Y United States Patent 3,619,852 REMOVABLE BOX BAIL Eric A. Eckberg, 509 S. Irwin St., Green Bay, Wis. 54301 Filed Nov. 10, 1970, Ser. No. 88,387 Int. Cl. A47b 95/02 US. Cl. 16-114 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An attachable-removable bail or handle attachment, for a container, such as a vessel, basket, tray, box, carton, or the like, said bail having slidable clamp members operative to cam or wedge an intervening rim portion of such container directly against said bail to secure said bail immediately to said carton.

In the packaging of wholesale groceries and the like, extensive use is made of corrugated paperboard cartons. Such cartons, when emptied in a retail store, are usually relegated to the waste bins and are carted away as trash, to be burned or otherwise dumped. Both such dispositions contribute to environmental and ecological pollution.

An object of this invention is the provision of means for diminishing air and ground pollution in the field of package environment.

Another object is the provision of means for recycling or restoring waste cartons back into productive channels, that is, making every used box a handy basket.

Still another object is to provide means for salvaging and converting useless scrap cartons into useful carriers having handle means that are attachable-removable.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of attachable-removable handle means, for a carton, including a hand grip portion, whereby a carton may be carried in an efiicient and easy manner.

Still a further object is the provision of attachableremovable handle means, for a carton, that is easily secured to and easily detached from such carton.

Yet a further object is to provide a carrying bail means, for a carton, that is adjustable for accommodation to cartons of various dimensions.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a telescopic U-shaped bail means, for a carton, accommodatable to cartons of varying widths.

Still another object is the provision of a U-shaped bail means, for a carton, that is adjustable to cartons of various heights.

Other specific features and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the removable bail secured to a container;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of one of clamps slidably mounted on the bail;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the clamp shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is a plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation view illustrating a modification, showing the slidable tubular clamp of much greater diameter than the associated tubular bail;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a modification showing a depending clamp finger bent outwardly;

FIG. 7 is a modification showing screw clamp means;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section view taken on line ice 88 of FIG. 1, showing the arcuated rim portion of the carton wedged between the arcuate finger and tubular arm;

FIG. 9 is a section view of alternate tubular members used in the construction, showing tubular members of square cross-section in lieu of cylindrical tubular members; and

FIG. 10 is a section view of another alternate tubular construction, showing tubular members of elliptical cross section.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a bail or U-shaped handle means generally indicated at 10 operatively associated with a salvageable corrugated paperboard carton generally indicated at 11.

Because it would be time consuming, repetitious and impractical to discuss each of the various kinds of containers that relate to the present invention, and as the major portionof our wholesale groceries, agricultural products and manufactured products are shipped in corrugated paperboard containers, the present invention will be discussed in terms of its application to corrugated paperboard cartons; it being understood that the invention is applicable to other types of containers suitable for the intended purpose, and is not limited to corrugated paperboard cartons.

The bail comprises an inverted U-shaped handle means 10 including tubular cross bar means generally indicated at 12 having a pair of tubular arm members 13 and 14 depending normally from the ends of said cross bar means 12, respectively.

The lower end portions of said tubular arms 13 and 14 are bent and turned inwardly toward each other, and flattened, as tabs or lugs 15 and 16, respectively, and adapted to engage the undersurface of a container to support such container thereon.

The tubular cross bar means 12 comprises a tubular handgrip portion 17, substantially centrally located, and a pair of horizontal tubular extensions 18 and 19 extending from the ends of said handgrip, respectively.

Handgrip extension 19 has one end received in said handgrip and secured therein as by crimping, pressfit, or by any other suitable means. The other end of extension 19 is connected to the upper end of arm 14 by any means, such as integrally or otherwise.

Handgrip extension 18 has one end telescopically received in handgrip 17, as at 21, and the other end is connected to the upper end of arm 13 by any suitable means, such as integrally or otherwise.

Arm 13, extension 18, and tab or lug 15 can be bent and formed of one piece of tubing.

Arm 14, extension 19, and tab or lug 16 can likewise be formed of one continuous piece of tubing, bent and shaped as above described.

Clamp means, generally indicated at 22 and 23, are slidably mounted on arms 13 and 14, respectively, for upand-down movement thereon.

Said clamp means comprise tubular sleeve guides 24 and 25 slidably embracing arms 13 and 14, respectively, and finger means 26 and 27 depending from said sleeve guides, respectively.

Said finger means can be an integral part of the tubular sleeve guides and extending therefrom, and formed as by cutting away the associated part of the tubing therefrom. It is preferred that the inner surface or profile edge of the finger means, such as at 28 be flared outwardly, relative to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve guides, thereby to cam or wedge the rim portion of a carton disposed in the clear space between said finger means and the adjacent arm, said rim portion being cammed or wedged against said adjacent arm thus removably securing the bail 12 to said carton. Said finger means are suitably rigid for the intended purpose.

More specifically, the finger means are flared outwardly so that points along the length of said finger means become progressively farther from the longitudinal axis of he associated arms or sleeves, the points being considered initially from the upper end to the lower end of said finger means.

The end of the finger means is provided with a sharp point or knife edge, such as at 29, for reasons hereinafter described.

In the cutting and forming of the finger means, it is preferred that an arcuate portion of the wall of the tubing be included, such as at the upper portion of the finger means, as at 31, see FIG. 8, thereby to substantially arcuately conform that portion of the rim of a relatively soft paperboard carton such as at 32 intervening between such arcuated finger means and the associated tubular arm 14, to the arcuate surface of such tubular arm, and thus increase the pertinent carton surface area bearing against the tubular arm surface for enhancing the frictional resistance, and otherwise interlock such members against relative sidewise displacement, and thus more securely coupling the arm 14 to the carton. The arcuated fingers are substantially concentric with the adjacent tubular arms.

To accommodate the clamp means to carton Walls that are thicker than those adapted for use with the depending finger means shown in FIG. 3, the finger means can be bent, thrust, disposed, or formed to project outwardly from the arm as indicated at 33, see FIG. 6.

In the alternative, see FIGS. 4 and 5, the sleeve guide 34 can be provided with a diameter suitably greater than the diameter of its respective arm 14, thereby operatively displacing finger means 35' outwardly of arm 14 to accommodate a thicker carton wall 36, as shown disposed prior to the movement of the finger 35 downwardly, for wedging action, as hereinafter described.

For use with wooden boxes or the like, finger means such as shown generally at 23, FIG. 7, can be used. Such finger means comprise a sleeve 25 having an offset bracket generally indicated at 37 depending therefrom. The offset finger portion 38 is likewise flared outwardly and is provided with a laterally projecting thumb screw 39, threadedly engaged through said offset 38, to engage the rim portion of a wooden box disposed or wedged between said offset finger 38 and the adjacent arm, to press and more securely couple the arm to the box.

To maintain the clamp means 22 and 23 properly and operatively oriented, that is, with the fingers 26 and 27 disposed inwardly of their respective arms and confronting each other, the sleeves 24 and 25 and their associated arms 13 and 14, respectively, can be made of tubular members having a square cross-section or an elliptical cross-section, in lieu of the cylindrical tubular members hereinbefore described, see FIGS. 9 and 10.

Likewise, the telescopically related handgrip 17 and ex tension 19 can be of square cross-section or elliptical cross-section, to maintain a fixed telescopic orientation, one with the other, that is, telescopic longitudinally, only.

Obviously, other conventional and suitable means can be used to maintain the members properly and operatively oriented and assembled, that is, to allow the associated members to slide longitudinally relative to each other, but not movable rotatively relative to each other.

OPERATION A corrugated paperboard box, or the like, to be carried, is conveniently disposed right side up, and the bail is disposed over and astride such box or carton, then lowered, and telescopically adjusted to the width of the box so that the lugs 15 and 16 engage the undersurface of such box and the arms 13 and 14 are drawn disposed to a position adjacent the sides of the box.

The clamps 22 and 23 are then maneuvered so that the fingers 26 and 27 engage the upper rim portion of the carton, preferably the inner surface of such portion, and the clamps then pressed and pushed downwardly, whereby the cam action of the flared edges 28 wedge such relatively soft rim portion against the adjacent arms, to secure the said bail arms to said carton, and the carton is otherwise pressed firmly seated on the support lugs.

With the bail arms thus clamped to the box, and the box otherwise supported on the bail lugs, the box can be car ried about by hand as a basket.

In the event the rim edge is relatively thick, that is, extending beyond the point or knife edge 29 of the fingers 26 and 27, such point or knife edge can be pushed into said edge to pierce and penetrate the edge portion, whereby the flared edges 28 will wedge the rim portion against the adjacent arms as hereinbefore described.

In the event a wooden box or the like is desired to be carried, wooden material being rigid and less likely to crush and wedge as does a corrugated paperboard box, then the clamp means shown in FIG. 7 can be used, and the thumb screw 39 tightened into the intervening rim edge and the wooden box held more securely between the offset fingers 38 and the adjacent arms.

To remove the bail from the carton box, One merely pulls upwardly on the clamp means thereby withdrawing the finger means from its wedging engagement with the rim portion of the carton, and then one telescopically extends the bail sidewise until the support lugs are withdrawn from the undersurface of the carton box, thus completely releasing the bail from the carton box.

In the removal of a bail having clamp means shown in FIG. 7, one must first back-off the thumb screw to release its engagement with the wooden box, and then follow the steps above recited.

Some characteristic features of this invention are the provision of a box bail removably securable to a box by slidable wedge means on said ball for wedging or fastening the rim portion of such box directly and immediately against said bail; the provision of a removable box bail as described above wherein the wedge means comprises a flared depending finger for wedging or fastening the rim portion of a box directly and immediately against said bail; the provision of a removable box bail as described above wherein the depending wedge finger is arcuate in cross-section; and the provision of a removable box bail as described above wherein the depending Wedge finger is provided with a sharp point or knife edge at the end thereof.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A removable bail for a container, comprising:

(a) an inverted substantially U-shaped member comprising a cross-bar member and a pair of spaced arm members depending from the ends of said cross-bar member;

(b) inwardly projecting support lugs on the ends of said arm members for engaging the undersurface of a container; and

(c) clamp means mounted for slidable longitudinal movement on said arm members, respectively, said clamp means including depending finger means spaced from said arm members, respectively, for receiving rim portions, of a container supported on said lugs, in the space between said depending finger means and said arm members, respectively, and for engaging such rim portions, respectively, thereby to secure said rim portions to said adjacent arm members.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the depending finger means are disposed flared outwardly relative to the associated arm members and operative to wedge such rim portions against said arm members.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the depending finger means are flared outwardly so that points on the operating range of said finger means become progressively farther from the respective arms, the points being considered initially from the upper end to the lower end of said depending finger means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the points on the operating range are on a straight line.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the finger means include separate screw means for engaging such rim portions and thrusting such rim portions against said arm members.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the cross-bar member is telescopic.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the arm members are tubular and the clamp means comprise a tubular sleeve on each of said arms and a finger depending from each of said sleeves, said fingers being flared outwardly relative to the respective arms.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the fingers have an arcuate inner surface substantially concentric with the surface of said tubular arm members.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the fingers terminate in knife edges.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the knife edges are sharp points.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the telescopic cross-bar member is elliptical in cross-section.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the arm members and the sleeves are elliptical in cross-section.

13. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the telescopic cross-bar member is rectangular in cross-section,

14. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the arm members and the sleeves are rectangular in cross-section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,178,965 4/1916 Stroecker 16-114 1,209,676 12/1916 Cooper 16114 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 220-94 

